45th Parallel Spirits: What It Takes to Handcraft Vodka

45th Parallel Spirits, LLC was never meant to be a traditional distillery. From its raw beginnings, self-taught founder and owner Paul Werni wanted to do things his way. His original idea was always to “create world class vodka with a manageable staff and facility in the Midwest where the grain is grown.”

The ultimate goal? To do all the fermenting and distilling in-house, without buying neutral grain spirits or subcontracting part of the process to other plants or companies. Once Werni found the right local farm that could provide high-quality grain, he was on his way.

We talked to Werni to find out what it takes to run a distillery where everything is made from scratch.

QUESTION: Can you tell us how 45th Parallel got started and what your main focus is today?

Paul Werni: I read about a successful small Distillery about ten years ago. At that time, I was financially secure and was looking to build a new business. I wanted to do something creative on a manufacturing level. I spent two years researching before beginning distilling in the spring of 2007. Our main focus today is building a high quality aged spirits inventory.

QUESTION: You focus on using the highest quality of grain available in the making of your drinks. Can you tell us a bit about your philosophy and how/where you obtain your raw materials?

PW: We found a dairy farmer that had an excellent reputation. The qualities found in grain that is best for good dairy production is also desirable for making alcohol. The starch-rich grain that is easily digestible for dairy cattle is also efficient converting to sugar needed in fermentation.

QUESTION: You pride yourself on using no additives in your vodka. How does that affect the flavor/texture and quality of the drink?

PW: We are a batch distillation facility using copper stills and columns. When distilling, our method will leave in natural flavors. Therefore, additives are not necessary.

QUESTION: What makes artisan vodka unique? How is handcrafted vodka different to the standard production from other distilleries?

PW: Batch distilling from 100% corn and carbon filtering with a high-quality wood-based carbon produces a unique vodka. Craft Vodka tends to have more flavor than industrial based NGS vodkas. Maintaining a subtle degree of natural flavor in a pure spirit is the goal. Some craft vodkas are too flavorful and not as clean (pure) as needed to compete on a world-class level.

QUESTION: You have a unique offering: lemon/orange liqueurs. Can you tell us a bit about it, how is it made and makes it so special?

PW: Our liqueurs are inspired by Italian style Cellos. We hand wash and zest up to 1500 pieces of fruit per 1000 liter batch. The zest is infused in alcohol for a period then removed and a simple syrup is added. Again, no additives are added.

QUESTION: You focus on rye whiskey, rather than malt whiskeys. Can you tell us a bit about the difference between the two and why you chose to produce rye whiskey?

PW: Malted whiskeys are basically Scotch style whiskeys. Scotch style whiskey uses 100% malted barley, aged in used barrels at a relatively consistent temperature. We produce American style whiskeys using corn, rye and wheat with a smaller percentage of malted barley as part of the grain bill. We age in new barrels and varying temps. Bourbon and Rye fill most of our barrels. The grains for these whiskeys are grown in our region, and I like Bourbon and Rye. Demand for Bourbon is greater than Rye, but rye is gaining ground.